


Recovery

by OhTheatre



Category: StarKid Productions RPF, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Musical References, Musicals, Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-06-03 13:51:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19465333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhTheatre/pseuds/OhTheatre
Summary: What happens when Emma finally escapes the horror of the kickline?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! This is a story I started over on my Tumblr but decided to just start it over again here! Italics means the characters inner thoughts and if you see bold, that's me adding something! Also if there are any triggers, I will put a trigger warning at the beginning of the chapter!

Recovery

Escape (Chapter 1)

Emma ran, pain searing through her body. It shot upwards from the leg, she alternated between running on both feet and hopping along. She ran far from the city landing in an unknown forest. No longer hearing the haunting voices singing she grasped onto a nearby tree and took a deep breath. _Think Emma, you can't stay here_. In her frenzy of pain, she observed her surroundings. It was pretty dark, the trees looming overhead. Silence surrounded her but every step she took the crackle of crisp leaves followed. She continued on, not wanting to be caught. After almost an hour she found herself in some kind of opening. It was hidden by falling leaves and branches, she pushed through and inhaled sharply. She stood in front of a small cottage, it seemed almost perfectly intact and discreet. Cautiously she knocked, no answer. She knocked a few more times before trying the handle which, to her surprise lightly and quietly opened.She quickly looked around but it seemed she was alone. She turned to lock the door before examining the area more. She found a closet, which contained a box. Still limping she removed the box and sat on the sofa. She opened it to find a small revolver inside, completely loaded. Unconsciously she made sure the safety was on before placing the gun by her side. _I might need it._ She exhales not realizing how much she needed it. She took the blanked the lay to her left and gently placed it over her. She could relax now, she was safe… right?

Emma shifted awake to the sounds of feet. She quickly became alert before grabbing the small revolver and positioning herself on the couch, she aimed at the door. The feet were soft and seemed to move in unison. Either the infected could all move at the same time, or much to Emma's delight there was only one person on the other side of the door. She shifts her position resulting in a shooting pain that crawled upwards of her injured foot. Letting out a small groan, she quickly clamped her hand to her mouth feeling tears roll down her cheek. A loud knock radiates throughout the small cottage.

“Emma?” The muffled voice questions. It sounded familiar but the ringing in her ears from the pain coupled with the muffled voice, she couldn’t make it out

“Emma... I'm sorry” She winces at the phrase, she knows exactly who is standing on the other side of the door. The voice repeats the phrase. It's different, she noted. It wasn’t haunting, it sounded…sincere.

Using the couch as support, she pushes herself up and quietly moves towards the door, gun in hand. She inhales sharply.

“Paul” She whispers “Paul.. is it.. are you.. are you.. you?” 

“I'm so sorry Em... I didn’t know what else to do” Silence fell for a moment “They all cornered me... so I pretended” He explained “It was awful... I hate musicals”

Emma lets out a small laugh, _that might be the most Paul thing ever._ Still holding the gun, she places her other hand on the doorknob before opening it. And there he stood. Messy, bloody suit and all. His shoulders awkwardly slumped and his face soft and sad. Before either can say anything Emma loses balances, she prepares herself for the rough fall to the floor but instead feels warmth inching its way around her. She looks up to see Paul holding her by her waist. She follows her arms to see that she’s clinging onto his neck. She meets his eyes and winces, afraid he’ll begin to sing. She’s been in this situation before, her feeling of safety completely shattered by one note. She tenses up, Paul notices and helps her to the couch. He returns shortly after locking the door. They sit side by side, finally making eye contact.

“My name Jeff” 

“…My name Jeff? Really? You just tried to sing-kill me and the first thing you say is ‘My name Jeff’” Emma retorts

Paul starts to sweat and fidgets with his tie. He’s never been good at conversation, especially not with the cute barista he’s been pining after for so long. It had gotten easier, after everything they had been through. But Paul had shattered that, the thought made him sad and disappointed in himself. He goes to apologize but instead gets cut off by Emma pouncing onto him with a hug.

“You really are Paul” She exclaims. She pulls away much to Pauls confusion, he smiles at her. She tries to re-position herself but once again gets knocked down, Paul once again catches her. 

“I'm sorry about everything” He doesn’t meet her eyes

“It's whatever” She brushes him off, rubbing her leg. It hurts so much, it really sucks.

“Here let me help” He makes his way towards the kitchen, luckily finding an ice pack and some gauze. _Convenient._ He makes his way back to the couch and begins wrapping the ice pack around her leg. He’s doing a sloppy job, Emma can't help but giggle.

“I'm not a doctor” He explains

“Well I don’t think this is how you fix a broken leg” 

“You're not a doctor eith-“ He pauses. They connected eyes and laughed remembering the timid but kind-hearted Charlotte. Silence falls over them, he clears his throat and finishes wrapping her leg. Emma’s starts to go numb _better than shooting pain every two minutes._

“Hey uh... Paul?” 

“Hm?” He responds softly meeting her eyes

“Did anyone else.. survive?” 

Paul hesitates before opening his mouth…


	2. Either Or

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul begins acting strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter! I just wanted to get this past out as to catch up with how much I posted on Tumblr.

Paul sighed. He wanted to give her good news, give her some hope to look forward to. But he met her eyes, and he couldn’t lie to her, _and I won’t ever again._

“I don’t think so” he recovers his posterior. Emma exhales a breath she’s been holding for a while. “B-but who knows! Maybe” He shrugs, trying to comfort her but to no avail. 

Emma nods unconvincingly, she missed the presence of the group, even if she didn’t know them long.

“Even Ted?” Paul asked he smiled catching her facial expressions. _He might know me too well_ “Anyway we need to get out of this forest, and Hatchetfield as soon as possible” He continued

Emma nodded, knowing she couldn’t go anywhere with this leg. Maybe she should cut it off. Before she could say anything A slow melody began to fill the room. It started soft and slowly grew almost enveloping Emma. She felt surrounded by… by.. nothing? She felt Paul shift, she was so entranced she forgot he was there. She looked towards him for reassurance but he wasn’t there. He returned her look with a blank stare, his eyes looked… empty. He shifted his head towards the source of the noise before returning to look at Emma.

“Paul?” Emma cautioned “Paul, we need to go.. or hide or.. Paul?”. He didn’t move, he wasn’t responding to her voice. Every-time the melody moved he followed it before finally laying his eyes once again on Emma. His blank stare growing stronger as if creeping up around her. She struggled to scramble back and landed on the floor. She felt her nails claw against the wooden floor standing up as she slowly backed away. She couldn’t hear it though, she couldn’t hear anything in fact. Anything.. except the melody. But it wasn’t just that simple anymore. There were voices, singing out. Paul stood and inched closer to her. Unable to understand her surroundings she tried to back away, hitting the wall of the cottage. Paul, now standing right in front of her, grew a joker like smile. A smile Emma knew all too well, not wanting to see this time she closed her eyes. The voices growing louder until it felt like they were hugging her. She cried out, or at least she thought she did. She couldn’t hear as the voices tortured her ear. She clawed the wall shutting her eyes so hard.

And then it stopped. All of it.

The world around her grew dead quiet. No singing, or melody. She removed her hands from the floor, hearing the soft motion in action. Slowly she could hear more. The wind outside of the cottage, the creaky floors and of course.. his voice. She opened her eyes slowly, she saw him a little further away. Still balancing on one foot she collapsed, this prompted Paul to jolt back and run over to her.

“Emma!” He shrieked “Are you ok?” He tried to kneel down and help her. She flinched her arm away from him staring in horror. Unable to speak. He wanted to help.

“Em?” He squeaked softly. She could hear his voice break. He looked so sincere, there was life behind his eyes. His mouth told stories. He was there, he was Paul. 

It was then, that Emma understood. It was more than just infected and… not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again! Hope you enjoyed! Leave any comments, questions and/or criticisms


	3. Distant Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the last chapter, Paul and Emma are distracted by a distant scream. A fellow friend? Or future Foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: A hinted panic attack

** TRIGGER WARNING: Read beginning authors note :) **

“Emma? Are you ok?” Paul is at her level now. He’s gentle and kind. His eyes glistened with life and hope.Why was she so scared before? It was just Paul. She goes to open her mouth but is cut off by a distant scream. Paul and Emma sharply turn their heads to the source of the noise, alert. He jumps up and lends a hand to Emma. She warily accepts it, more distracted by the noise now. He wraps one arm around her to act as her stabilizer. He notices how tense she is, but decides its nothing. He leads over to the couch and helps her sit comfortably. She shifts letting go of his arm. She looks up at him and notices the worry slithering across his face. She hadn’t noticed how much his face of confidence had reassured her. He moves towards the door, she wants to stop him but every time she moves her body seizes in pain.

“What was th-“ Paul starts but is quickly cut off by another scream. Its clearer now, it's young and feminine. Paul moves to the door and looks out the previously shaded windows. He sighs quickly, relieved but still alert at the sight of an empty forest. He turns back to Emma, he finally notices how red her face was. Her breathing was quick and startled. _Stupid, how could you not have seen it._ He rushes to her side, she simply sits frozen looking at him. He gently takes her hand, immediately feeling a tight clutch. 

“P-pa..” She tries to speak, tears welling her eyes.

He hushes her, placing another hand behind her head. He presents slow breathing, exaggerating a slow inhale and exhale. She slowly mimics his routine and he feels her clutch soften and loosen on his hand. He nods while she continues. He rests her head on the pillow and pulls a blanket over. He makes his way to the kitchen filling a cup with water and returning to Emma's side. She takes and drinks while Paul uses a damp cloth on her face.

“I'm sorry” She murmurs, hazily leaning into Paul who was sitting to her side now still patting her with the damp cloth.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Em…Its a lot to take in” He sets the cloth aside, she nods and full places her head on his chest falling into a slumber. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was. _When was the last time I slept_? Paul stayed there with her, he himself feeling tired. Having this moment of thought he questioned the events that took place before they heard the scream. Emma looked terrified… terrified at… him. He shook his head, too tired to question anything he let the sleep consume and fell into the warmth. Scared about where his thoughts would take him, he jumped awake before completely falling asleep. He slowly removed himself from Emma and lay her down comfortably. He had an instinct to kiss her forehead like he used to do with…

Another scream echoed throughout the forest. The closest it had ever been. Paul quickly turned to look at Emma hoping she was still asleep. He held his breath as she stirred but she seemed to stay asleep. He once again made his way to the door and looked through again, he saw the trees and leaves moving _its just the wind._ He turned his back to the door, expecting a still wood door he felt it shake. 

“HELP!” A voice shrieked from the other side. It was a young female, she pounded her fists against the door. Paul quickly turned to hold the door closed. He looked to Emma, somehow still asleep. 

“Please! You have to help me” The voice pleaded, he had heard this voice before. His heart tugged at him, hearing the quiet sobs and panic that arose from the young girl. Like an impulse, he swung the door open and dared to look up. His face approached a quiet shock as he stood in front of the young girl. He felt tears form in his eyes, as he looked her up and down. There she stood, a black skirt, wrapped in a pink jacket, hair a mess and sobbing confusion. She met his eyes.

“Paul?” She questioned ever so softly

“Alice” He barely breathed her name. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the hinted Panic Attack, I base anything in the story from personal experience. It might not be how you feel it, but it is how I experience them sometimes.


	4. Friend or Foe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Paul are greeted to the presence of a new body. She recounts her story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Slight mentions of blood

The young girl pounced into Pauls' arm, wrapping her arms around him. Squeezing him hard and sobbing into his chest. He felt how cold she was, still in shock he looked down at her. _Was this real? Is she really here?_ He could feel her shake and slowly noticed more and more how disheveled she was. Finally feeling her presence he wrapped his arms around her returning the hug. She sighed relieved, she clearly needed to be held. She nuzzled her head into his shoulders and he placed a hand on her head. They stayed like this, both seeping the comfort and warmth of each other. 

“I was so scared” she whispered, still nuzzled “I woke up in my old school…” She paused, her breathing and heart rate picked up. He tightened the hug, before finally pulling away to look at the teen in front of him. He couldn’t believe it, he remembered how small she used to be. He recalled their trips to the movies and the look of amazement that sat on her face when she chose her snacks for the theatre. He remembered how everything interested the little one. How curious she used to be, ready to try everything. Her love for musicals and how it compared to Pauls disdains for them. He smiled remembering the little girl dragging him to the couch to sit down and watch “Mamma Mia” for the first time. He looked at the disheveled girl in front of him. She was broken, she lost a part of herself. Her eyes were constantly filling with tears, that she quickly wiped away with her already torn jacket. He felt his face flush with love for the girl, love that he had only seen on one other person. Bill. 

“I had a gun in my hand, I was.. surrounded.. by.. b-by…” She choked, Paul quickly returned his focus to her words. He took her hand and led her to the kitchen table. She continued…

“Bodies! Paul.. there were thousands… I looked everywhere for someone awake…” He didn’t understand. Only hours.. or was it hours? How long had passed since he saw Alice as one of them? “I kept blacking out and waking up somewhere completely different. The only thing I remember before I go black is music. I don’t understand!” She cried. He quickly took her hand and used his thumb to rub comforting circles in the palm of her hand. Urging her to continue, but understanding if she couldn’t. She nodded gratefully and wiped her eyes. 

“I woke up…like thirty minutes ago. I was surrounded by people, they were looking at me weirdly and then they just.. tried to grab me... so I ran” She looked out the window expectantly

“It's safe here” He assured her, she seemed to relax at this.

“I ran here, screaming… sorry about that. I just wanted someone to hear me” She paused “And then I found…this place. And there you were” She finished finally. She smiled sadly looking down. Paul let go of her hand, he felt his heart tug. They sat in silence for a while, both lost in thoughts before Alice perked her head up to look at Paul.

“Is.. my.. have you.. is my dad ok?” Paul froze, taking in a sharp breath. He felt a pit grow in his stomach, he knew this was coming. _Was this how it felt to tell kids about the birds and the bees?_ He couldn’t meet her eyes anymore, he prayed for a distraction, anything. How do you tell a child, that they killed their own father? 

“Paul?” A groggy voice echoed throughout the house. _Emma_. He completely forgot. He stood up, noticing Alice gain a sense of alertness. He held his hand up to reassure her. He walked over to Emma, guiltily thanking her for the distraction in his head. He reached the couch and kneeled next to her. He placed his hand on her forhead to check for any illnesses. He sighed relieved, finding the only symptom was exhaustion. She looks at him, pulling the blanket up to her neck, she smiled at him.

“Hey” He whispered softly stroking her head “How are you feeling?” 

Before responding she nuzzled her head into the pillow, smiling dreamily. 

“A little better… really needed that sleep” She turned her head up and her eyes slowly grew wide. Unable to speak she pointed and stuttered up. Paul quickly turned to where her hand pointed. Alice stood at the bed of the couch, her eyes soft. Paul couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“It's ok.. its just Alice” He nodded as she processed. He realized the two had never met, she had heard of Alice but stayed behind on the rescue trip. Emma sighed and sat up a little, Paul helped her propping her up on a pillow. Alice inched closer and sat at the end of the couch. Everyone stirred in silence, hoping the other would say anything. Finally, Emma looked at Alice and asked:

“What happened? How did you get here?” Alice sighed and told her story. By the end of it, Emma was holding Alice's hands softly and comforting her. They stayed like this for a while before Paul suggested they set up for a night. 

“Why don’t I sleep on the couch and you two can have the bedroom?” Alice prompted. Paul sensed a smirk on her face but was too tired to think anything of it. He nodded and turned to Emma who agreed. He helped her up and they wobbled to the bedroom. It was quite spacious, the shades were closed leaving no light. He flicked on the lamp and helped Emma to the bed. Her clothes were torn, bloodied and dirty. He scrounged through the closet that was to the left of the bed and hoped for something for Emma to change into. Finally setting upon a flannel pajama set. He turned to Emma who was having trouble keeping her head up. Motioning that he would return, Paul made his way to another door in the room that led to a bathroom. 

“Do you want to take a shower?” Paul asked Emma. He was worried she wouldn’t be able to stand on her own, but he loathed the idea of her sleeping all dirty and bloody. She nodded, Emma sighed entering the bathroom. It was surprisingly clean and neat. She opened the shower curtain to reveal a bar on the other side of the shower. She smiled relieved to have something to support her. She undressed and allowed the warm water to wash away the dirt, blood, and her worries. 

Paul returned to the commons to check on Alice. He’s known her since she was little and had always felt this… paternal instinct towards her. He walked into the now dimly lit commons and made his way to the couch. Alice was out like a light softly sleeping. He pulled the blanket over her, it was chilly at night and the house wasn’t exactly circulating heat. Paul made his way to the kitchen searching for something to consume and taking inventory.He sighed finding only dry foods, nothing that could spoil. _I suppose that's good for lengthy stays._ He removed the granola from one of the top shelves and ate some quietly crunching on it. 

“Paul!” He heard a voice shriek throughout the house, he dropped his granola through fright making a mess. He rushed to the bedroom, shortly followed by a confused Alice wrapped in her blanket. He opened the door, his eyes darted first to the shattered glass on the floor. His eyes made their way up to the wall, the source of the shattered glass was the window. The window, which had now been destroyed completely, blew a cold wind into the room. He made his way over urging Alice to stay at the door. He kneeled down and picked up a piece of glass, he moved forward until he reached the window. He examined it before inhaling sharply. He traced his finger on the bottom frame, there was a piece of sharp glass still intact. Pauls' eyes grew in horror, he stumbled back feeling small tears forming in his eyes. The pieces were lined with a red substance, that seemed to track throughout the floor. 

_Emma_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo cliffhanger :) Hope you enjoyed, sorry this was longer! Please leave comments, questions and/or criticisms


	5. Ripped Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Paul must deal with the after-effects of an uninvited visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of blood, graphic descriptions

“Paul!” Emma shrieked as her damp body, newly clothed in a flannel pajama set was being dragged through the window. She winced as she felt her arm and face cut by the broken window. She squirmed trying to break free but her attacker was strong, she cried out constantly as the house before her only grew smaller. She prayed she was dreaming, anything, anything but this. She winced at every, bush or stick or rock she brushed against which slowly tore her skin apart revealing blood. She dug her nails into the ground trying to hold onto something while the figure pulled her further away from the house. The light finally disappeared as she heard a final “Emma” scream the through the forest, the voice as distant as it could ever be. Emma felt her eyes get heavy has a haunting melody danced into her mind, she closed them drifting off into fear.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Emma!” Pauls shrill voice filled the cabin flooding out into the forest, it was hopeless she was gone. _No, no stupid._ Paul felt a small hand on his shoulder, it squeezed slightly in an attempt to comfort. He glanced up at Alice smiling gratefully before fully turning to her. She looked exhausted, her eyes were red and puffy and she still had the blanket wrapped around her. Her smile was pained and her wounds were turning colors that shouldn’t appear on the human body. He cursed himself for not realizing how bad Alice looked. He met her eyes which only seemed to grow heavy as time went on. He took her hands and led her over to the bed, she followed half asleep. He got her settled into bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. His eyes widened she wasn’t a teenager, the girl who laid in front of her was the young wide-eyed girl. He kissed her forehead and whispered a sweet goodnight. He turned his attention back to the window, the light breeze now turned into a freezing wind that embodied the room, he feared that Alice's condition would only worsen so he did his best to cover up the window allowing heat to circulate the room again. Paul turned off the light and made his way into the living room, he took a sharp breath before collapsing onto the floor. The tears flooded his cheek and he cried silently, he just wanted Emma, he wanted help. Someone tell him what to do, he didn’t know. Paul grasped his way towards the couch, hugging his knees allowing his sobbing to wet his tattered clothes as he cried himself to slumber. 

_Paul was running, he felt tears run down his face as he turned the corner into another hallway. It was an asylum, he didn’t recognize it. He heard screams coming from a room and he ran faster. He wasn’t just running from something, he was running towards something. He couldn’t hear very well, everything was muffled. He tripped and felt something fall out of his ear. His eyes drew to a close before hearing one last scream and the image of an earplug turned black._

_~~~~~~~~~~_

Emma awoke in a hot sweat, she felt weak. Her body shook with fear as her face was an even balance of hot and cold. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, she felt smashed against a cold tile floor. She groaned in pain as different parts of her became present. Her vision started to clear and she took in her surroundings. The room was awfully lit, with the exception of one bright hanging light that swayed softly back and forth, creaking with every move. She placed her hand flat against the cool floor slowly sitting up, moaning with every move. She adjusted herself and placed a free hand to her side, it felt warm and wet. Startled, she looked down to see blood seeping through her pajamas. She shut her eyes holding back incoming tears and allowed her self to back into one of the walls in the room. She leaned back using the wall as support, taking a deep breath she accounted for everything. The room was bland, cold tiles lined the floor, they appeared to be mostly clear besides the red blood Emma had dragged across the floor. The walls were soft, the radiated a bland eggshell color, the discrepancy between the floor and the walls gave Emma a headache. She sat up spluttering a bit, she covered her mouth as her coughing got worse, blood stained her hands. She heard voices through the walls, they were low and spoke at a constant speed. It was monotone and there was almost no difference between the two voice. She heard shuffling grow louder before a door opened in the room Emma played in. She raced backward before remembering she was already behind a door. She dared to look up, the figure slowly cleared until it stood under the light. Emma cried out a gasp as she looked in the face of a former teammate.

“T-ted” She whispered breathlessly. The man simply stood. He looked down and smiled menacingly at her. She shut her eyes tight but swiftly opened than when she heard a large thud. She saw a man laying on the floor it wasn’t Ted. She looked up horrified to see Ted still smiling, but it wasn’t the same smile. It was a joking smile, a sincere genuine smile. Her eyes grew wide as Ted took a step forward.

“Hey, Emma! Long-time no see, sorry for dragging you out of the house! Had to maintain my cover” He spoke quick and hyper.

“Cover?” Emma barely got out

“Well yeah, I'm infiltrating the infected” He finished. _Oh my god_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! Sorry for the shorter chapter! I was traveling! Please leave a comment


	6. Infiltration Ala Ted (Chapter 6)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma reconciles with some old friends, Paul is frustrated at his failed attempts to locate Emma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Sorry it has been awhile! Whoops... anyway please enjoy this long chapter, it might be one of my favorites so I hope you like it. Please leave some comments!!
> 
> TW: Blood mention, cursing, hostage situation, fighting

“Are you ok?” A soft voice questioned from behind Paul. He took a deep breath before nodding, he had been looking over the map for hours. It was a map of what seemed to be the forest, he had found it after last nights…debacle. He folded it up more confused and defeated than before and turned to face Alice. She looked better, her hair was combed into a neat braid, she wore some ripped jeans and a white t-shirt, she had her pink jacket wrapped around her waist. She held two cups of some kind of hot liquid in her hand, her face was cleaned up. Paul smiled graciously as she handed him one of the cups. “It's coffee, I found some in the drawer, I know how much you like it so…” She gave him a sympathetic look. He did love coffee, he loved coffee because of Emma. How she did a little dance every time she served it, how she hummed behind the counter going back and forth between orders, the sweet smile she always gave handing it to Paul. He missed her, he missed her so much. 

“Thank you Alice” He nodded at the cup. He took a sip and tried very hard not to cringe. He swallowed the bitter taste, allowing it to burn his throat on the way down. He let out a small cough before turning back to Alice giving her a weary thumbs up. She smiled happily and made her way over to the kitchen, most likely to find some food. Paul turned back to map, now folded, he knew it wasn’t but it felt like it was mocking him. He huffed annoyed and decided he needed to clean up as well, _it will make me feel better._ He informed Alice of his plans and went to the bathroom. Allowing the cool, freshwater to freeze out his thoughts. 

~~~

“Infiltration? The Infected? Huh?” Was all Emma could repeat, Ted rolled his eyes multiple times. Emma did not like him, and she had the sense the feeling was mutual. The pair had been standing in the overwhelmingly bright room all night, as Ted explained his plan if you can even call it that. Ted explained that when he stole the gun and ran away from Emma and Paul he encountered the army. At first, he thought they were there to help him but quickly realized they had been infected so he needed to act quickly. _I have to hand it to him,_ Emma thought, _he’s pretty clever when he wants to be._ Ted allowed them to ‘infect’ him and followed along with their ruse, he then learned about their plans and decided it was best if he became trusted as opposed to an enemy. So he followed them to this base and ordered him to capture Emma. 

“Why me?” Emma interrupted “I'm sure there are plenty of un-infected people…why me?” Ted simply shrugged which only annoyed Emma more. 

“Look I don’t know, they are very secretive with their plans” He continued “All I knew was that It would be a lot safer if I went to get you, than an actual infected person” Emma nodded in agreement. “You seem to be special to them, who knows why, but they were pretty adamant about getting you” Emma swallowed nervously, _why me?_

“Wonderful, an army of singing murderers are after me” Emma feigned enthusiasm. Ted scoffed jokingly. “I hate this, oh my god… have I mentioned how much all of this sucks” She groaned, Ted could simply nod in agreement. Emma sighed, collecting herself before turning back to Ted “So…infiltration?” Ted's eyes lit up at this.

“Exactly, I'm an inside man now. I've been trying to figure out how to take them down” Emma gave Ted a curious look, he sighed annoyed “Search for a cure, figure out their motives, find out the cause of this singing apocalypse” He explained, Emma started to understand. “One of their biggest missions was to get you” Emma fidgeted nervously with her hands. Ted went to continue but was distracted by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Ted looked back to Emma. “Hide” He whispered urgently, Emma wasted no time. She scattered across the room to hide behind one of the tables, Ted adjusted the cloth above the surface and stood casually in front of it. Emma heard to people enter the room, they made their way over to Ted.

“Agent, where is the hostage?” Emma felt a shiver down her spine at the sound of the monotone voice. It spoke so evenly, it vibrated perfect pitch. She felt Ted's feet shuffle on the floor, hitting the cloth slightly. Suddenly there was a loud thud and objects clattered to the ground. Emma gasped softly, moving a hand to her mouth. She heard someone struggled, it felt odd to hear, the voice wasn’t bothered but it was in pain. Then everything went quiet, and she heard the door lock. She swallowed nervously, as another pair of footsteps came closer to the table. 

“You hid her?” A third voice joined the conversation, it was sweet, filled with soft concern. Emma swore she could recognize it. 

“Yeah” Emma was taken aback by the shaken tone Teds voice took on. “Shes um… she’s right under here” Panic set in as she watched Ted lift the cloth to reveal a cowering Emma. She shut her eyes tight, too scared to meet her fate.

“She's scared…” The third voice whispered “I'm not here to hurt you” It added. Emma swallowed again, her throat was dry, too dry. She carefully opened her eyes letting out a small look of amazement and shock. She couldn’t help but smile at the figure in front of her. 

“Charlotte?” She whispered amazed and confused. The figure nodded proudly, holding out her arm. “H-how are you here?” Emma looked between Ted and Charlotte, She noticed Ted's annoyed stare. She chose to ignore it focusing on Charlotte. “I mean… Ted… I understand b-but you… I watched you’re i-insides get…Professor H-hidgens shot you!” She exclaimed Charlotte shushed her softly.

“God Emma! Be quiet! Do you want to get caught!” Ted huffed, he glared at Emma. She did not miss that. She mumbled an ashamed sorry. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Charlotte “And Char what were you thinking?!” His tone shifted, anger still wafted through the air but this time… with an added concern. Emma was taken aback by this. “Knocking the guard unconscious?! What if he beat you? What if you got caught? What if you d-“ He paused, taking a very shaky breath “What if you died…” His face fell, and his gaze softened. Charlotte let go of Emma carefully and turned to Ted. Her eyes as soft as Emma remembered, she found an overwhelming sense of comfort in this. 

“Ted, I'm fine, you’re fine, and Emma is fine” She shot Emma a quick smirk, Emma stifled a small laugh. “Plus, I’ve learned a lot since being here, I can take care of myself… ok?” Emma studied the pair, there was something there. Ted listened for a moment before moaning annoyed and nodded.

“Fine, whatever” He paused “Just don’t do it again ok?” He glances at Emma “We have enough problems already” Emma rolled her eyes and shot him a glare, he returned it happily. 

“Oh wow, I did not miss this” Charlotte muttered “Ok look, we need to get out of here, hide the guard and then get back on track” She informed, ted glared for a moment longer before nodding and setting his eyes on the unconscious guard. He began the task of hiding the body, Charlotte took Emma and led her over to one of the other tables. “Are you ok? Are you hurt?” 

“Um, nothing new…just my leg” She carefully lifted the now blood-soaked pajamas showing the wound to Charlotte. Charlotte sucked in a sharp breath before taking a look around at the equipment.

“Ok, Well I can't fix it but I can ease the pain and set it on the path to _recovery”_ Charlotte said, Emma furrowed her brows confused. Charlotte noticed and let out a sweet giggle. “Though earlier Ted was right, I'm not a doctor, I have learned a lot while being here and found I'm quite handy in the medical field.” Emma sighed relieved, it really fucking hurt. Charlotte took that as a sign to begin her ‘healing’.

~~~~

“See at first I enjoyed this but now…? I'm not so sure… so maybe you could let me go?” The room erupted in monotone laughter, the man huffed at his attempt and struggled in his ties. He hated this chair, this room and… well, he used to love these people. 

“That's funny” One voice chimed in, monotone just like the rest

“You think you have a choice” Another one said

“I don’t know, maybe we should give him a choice” The man perked up at the sound of emotion. The third voice was full of wit and sass. He couldn’t help but laugh a little, he couldn’t see much because of his blindfolds but he heard the sound of people hitting the floor. The room went silent after an eventful moment of grunting and struggling. There was shallowed breathing until the man felt to warm hands undoing the ties on his feet. He blinked for a moment as his blindfold was removed from his eyes, he adjusted to the light and smiled happily at the sight of the figure. The man gave him a smug smile. The other man examined the room.

“You just can't resist making a mess can you?” The man in the chair sighed looking at all the bodies of his former friends.

“Anything for you my dearest” The man chuckled, the man in the chair rolled his eyes unimpressed. 

“You going to leave my hands tied? I know that's how you like it Chad, but I'm rather uncomfortable” The man in the chair said simply, the other man threw his head back into booming laughter. He gave the man a smug smile before untying his hands.

“You always were such a complainer, weren’t you Henry?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEK!! Im so excited to add these characters!! I hope you do like this chapter, ill try to update more often oops... BUT PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS, they make me happy :)

**Author's Note:**

> I post theatre and other content if you want to follow me over at @oh-theatre on Tumblr! Hope you enjoy and please leave comments, questions and/or criticisms!


End file.
